


Lay Down Your Burdens

by Goodluckdetective (scorpiontales)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 09:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8138465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpiontales/pseuds/Goodluckdetective
Summary: Jesse can't let Commander Reyes down. Not after everything. Commander Reyes has a very different idea of what "letting him down" means.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Not enough Dad!Gabe you say? I can fix that.

It’s stupid to try to keep secrets in Blackwatch.

McCree isn’t an idiot. He knows this, ever since he tried to keep a stash of whiskey in his room and found it gone a day later. Working to keep secrets around people who dig up secrets for a living is tempting fate, especially when those people are your co-workers. No, McCree gave up on keeping any stupid secrets years ago, instead focusing on keeping the personal ones close to his chest. Stuff like what his Mother last said to him, and what nightmares keep him up at night. Everything else is an open secret for anyone who’d like to dig.

This is the first stupid secret he’s tried to keep in awhile, McCree thinks as he comes back from drills. A fever of all things. It started Friday, nothing too bad, but three days later, it’s built up to something fierce, and McCree spends all his time upright feeling like he might puke or die. Normally, he’d head on over to the medics, get himself some signed off bed rest. He isn’t afraid of taking a day off. If it wasn’t for the UN, he’d be in his room already, dead asleep and not waking anytime soon.

But that’s the thing: the UN. They’re here doing inspections, and McCree hasn’t felt more on edge since Commander Morrison himself pulled him aside to see his sharpshooting in action. McCree knows what they think of him, the inspectors. He can tell from the curl of their lips and the way they scribble on paper taking frantic notes as he walks by. He knows what they think of Blackwatch too, what they think of Commander Reyes, how they take a different tone when he walks by. They’re judgemental. Looking to find a reason to criticize. 

McCree refuses to prove them right. And more importantly, he refuses to let Commander Reyes down. Not after he pulled him out of Deadlock, gave him a warm meal, and a way to put his skills to good use.

He stumbles into his room, shutting the door behind him. The lights are off, and he doesn’t bother to try turning them on. Putting on different clothes is an effort, but it’s worth it to get the feeling of sweat of his skin. When he collapses into the cool pillows, it’s the closest thing he’s felt to heaven.

He dreams, for a period, fever dreams of omnics with red lights and bullets skimming past his ear. When he wakes it’s to the sound of swearing, and he wakes up to find Commander Reyes himself staring down at him. His brow is knit, his hat long forgotten, and his mouth curves down into a frown as he sees McCree open his eyes.

“Wha-” McCree tilts his head. “Wha you doing in my room?”

“You were late to our meeting,” Commander Reyes says. There’s surprisingly no heat to his voice; the last time McCree was late, he got chewed out something fierce. McCree sits up and his head spins from the sudden movement.

“Aw shit boss, I’m sorry-” He doesn’t finish, Commander Reyes pushing him back down firmly on the bed. The feeling of pillows behind his head is welcome. 

“Lie down, McCree, you look like you’re gonna puke.” He shakes his head, frown growing deeper. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

“I ain’t sick.”

“I’ve seen corpses look better off than you.” McCree wants to accuse him of exaggerating, but Commander Reyes face doesn’t look open to argument. McCree sighs, closing his eyes. 

“UN was here. Had to be there.”

“The UN doesn’t expect you to work sick.”

“They expect me to be worth their time,” McCree says. He’s too tired to remember his verbal filter, and even if he did, it would be no use. Commander Reyes is the head of an organization devoted to exposing  secret keepers for a reason. “Gotta be worth it.”

He opens his eyes. The room seems to be spinning besides Commander Reyes. The frown is still on his face, but his eyes are softer. 

“Deadlock make you work sick?”

“Puked in a bush once.”

“Sounds nasty.”

“It was gross.”

“You’re cleared of duty till this clears up,” Commander Reyes says after a moment. McCree closes his eyes again. Keeping them open is a lot of effort. There’s a brief sensation of a hand on McCree’s forehead before it’s gone. “I’m calling a medic to your room to keep you roasting alive from the inside out. If I hear you left this room without an all clear from the doctor, you’ll be running extra drills for a week.”

“Yes Sir.”

“I mean it, McCree.”

“Heard you loud and clear.”

That seems to satisfy the Commander and he heads to leave. McCree sits up for a moment, hearing his footsteps and clears his throat.

“Wasn’t just staying out to save my own hide,” he says. “UN ain’t fair to you. Didn’t want them to use me to give em’ reason.” 

Commander Reyes looks at him for a long moment, McCree can’t read his expression, but it looks almost surprised with a mix of something else. His frown turns into a smirk.

“They’d find a reason regardless, McCree.” He reaches for the doorknob. “Get some rest.”

McCree sinks back down onto the pillows. As he hears the door open, he swears he can hear the Commander say one more thing before he leaves.

_ “Thank you.” _


End file.
